VIDEO: Boozefighters Motorcycle Club comes to aid of Troy food pantry

By Andrew Beam

Saturday, November 10, 2012

TROY -- Three years ago, a member of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club Mountain Chapter 60 saw a note on the door of the food pantry at St. Joseph's Church alerting people they had run out of food. So, he rang the doorbell.

"I spoke to the people there and they said, 'What can I do for you?'" said the member who wished to be referred to by "Z". "And I said, 'No, what can I do for you?'"

Z has been organizing this canned food drive for the past four years. On the day he approached people at St. Joseph's, he explained to them the fund-raising efforts in which his motorcycle club was involved.

Every year, the club puts together a party at Nature's Bar in South Troy, where a $20 donation is collected at the door and those attending are asked to bring non-perishable food items. Leading up the party, though, Z said there are several businesses throughout the city where they put a box in front to collect more canned goods.

Charter Holder and Chapter President Joe "Gas Cap" Hartigan, said it could be any business as hair salons, other taverns and auto body shops that participate in the effort.

"Some even give us cash donations which we give directly to St. Joseph's," Hartigan said.

This is something the motorcycle club is used to doing as Z said they have helped other food pantries such as the one at the Faith and Love Fellowship in Rensselaer and Calvary Methodist in Latham.

"It's just our thing to help the community," Z said.

"It's Thanksgiving time and good can be tough to come by," Hartigan said.

The need for food hits somewhat close to home for Z as he said there was a six-week period in his life where he was living off rice. Z recognizes these are hard times for a lot of people and there are some people who could find themselves in a precarious position in the blink of an eye.

"The economy is so unstable that anybody at any time could be working for a company and could be told they're not working there anymore," Z said. "Some people feel funny about asking for public assistance and the food pantry can be a bridge for them until things get better."

Z also added with the country constantly going over to help people in foreign countries, there still needs to be some focus on helping people in the United States.

"It's nice to help out a fellow American," Z said. "This is our time to do that."